Dr Robert Jefferson is a Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry, King’s College London. He received his BA in Biochemistry, Biophysics, & Molecular Biology from Whitman College and his PhD in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from UCLA in the laboratory of James Bowie developing techniques for studying membrane protein folding under native conditions with funding from an NIH Training Fellowship in Cellular & Molecular Biology.

He then applied his knowledge of physical biochemistry to the computational design of GPCRs for cellular engineering in the laboratory of Patrick Barth at EPFL under a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship.

In 2023, Robert moved to the Department of Chemistry, King’s College London, to establish his group as a Lecturer in Chemistry. His research applies both computational and experimental techniques to modelling and design of dynamic membrane protein complexes for cellular engineering. The work seeks to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms of protein stability and function, as well as developing new protein-based therapeutic and synthetic biology tools.

Research Interests

• Engineering Membrane Protein Quaternary Stability
• Molecular Determinants of Peptide-Activated GPCRs
• Computational Design of Signaling Complexes

Teaching

• Physical Chemistry 
• UG Research Methods Literature Review
• MSci Research Project & Dissertation
• MRes Research Project in Interdisciplinary Chemistry

Research profile

For more information on Dr Jefferson's research please see his Research Portal page

The Jefferson Group

Postgraduate Researchers:

• Nicholas Massouh

The Jefferson Group seeks to understand how conformationally dynamic protein complexes influence signaling across the cell membrane and exploit a mechanistic understanding for designing signaling systems with altered functions.

Membrane proteins are constantly exposed to interactions with other proteins, whether it be oligomeric associations within the lipid bilayer, activation by peptide ligands, or coupling to downstream signaling effectors. These associations are critical hubs for cellular programming, playing key roles in disease states with adverse consequences, such as protein misfolding, cell signaling defects, and activation of carcinogenic transcriptional programs.

As such, protein signaling complexes are uniquely poised for engineering efforts to correct such defects or grant new cellular functions. We use a fusion of computational and experimental techniques to model, design, & understand membrane protein stability and function.

Visit the Jefferson Group website to find out more.